Once
by CharlieLee
Summary: He smelled it before he saw it. He put the key in the door, hesitant to what he might find behind it. It was a feeling he'd had a handful of times, and each one was down to her. There was the time she wanted to learn how to bake, the time she insisted on getting not one- but seven kittens, because how could she separate the siblings? But nothing could have prepared him for this.


**Wow I actually wrote something happy for once. Great. I split this in two because the next part kills a little bit so prepare yourselves... I'll probably upload it this weekend. **

**Please review!**

* * *

He smelled it before he saw it.

He turned the key in the door, hesitant to what he might find behind it. It was a feeling he'd had a handful of times, and each one was down to her. There was the time that she decided she wanted to learn how to bake, the time she decided she wanted to get not one- but seven kittens, because how could she just separate the siblings? And how could he forget, the time she invited the doppelganger to stay with them for three months.

This, however, was much worse.

He would have taken eating batches and batches of burned cookies, while raising seven cats, while having Elena give him disapproving stares any day.

He could hear them in the bathroom, and he walked slowly towards them, praying that his ears and his nose were deceiving him.

"Oh, _Caroline." _He said, taking in the sight before him. Caroline was kneeling by the bath, dressed in a pair of grey sweats, and an oversized navy sweatshirt. In the bath, there was a toddler wearing a bathing suit. A little girl that couldn't be more than three years old, She'd got blonde curls, cut to her shoulders, brown eyes, and pale skin. His mouth formed a thin line. The little girls skin was littered with scars, of all shapes in sizes. Then there were the bruises, blue, purple, yellow.

"Okay, before you freak out-" She said, glancing between him and the little girl. "this is Maisie." He said nothing, the girl said nothing. Caroline sighed. "Maisie, Sweetie, we're just going outside for a minute, okay?" She asked softly, in a voice that he recognized as one she'd reserved for the kittens. He allowed her to push him out the door, and towards their bathroom.

He sat on their bed while she turned to close the door.

"Caroline-"

"I know, I _know_, but listen."

"Caroline, we're not keeping her."

"But-"

"Where did you even get her?" He asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

"I-" She took a deep breath, and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I sort of took her."

"You _what?!" _He hissed, standing abruptly. Caroline had done a lot of foolish things in the ten years they'd spent together, like the time she'd bought a yacht, or the time she'd flown to Paris telling him that going to Paris alone was something she had to do, because she couldn't 'kiss some random, hot French guys' when he was around. He'd followed her straight there, much to her annoyance.

'_We have eternity, Klaus. I wasn't going to sleep with any of them.' _

She'd only been with him a year at that point, and no they weren't together, but that didn't mean he was going to let her flit around the world, kissing random men.

"Caroline, Sweetheart." He forced a smile on his face, and tried to remain calm. "You've got nine, maybe ten, seconds to explain."

"_Okay, _so I'm downtown, shopping in the adorable little market we found. I'm walking past this apartment building when I hear this crying, and not like wailing, more like sobbing. She just sounded so _sad." _She frowned, and his expression softened considerably. "She just kept saying: _'No Daddy, please.'. _So, I barged in, and saw her cowering in the corner. Her Father was standing over her, and her Mother was passed out on the couch and I-" His anger completely evaporated as he saw her crumble, the tears streaming down her cheeks. He pulled her towards him, wrapped his arms around her, and placed a kiss on top of her head.

"Caroline, I know _why _you took him, but I'm afraid we can't keep him."

"You said that about the kittens at first too." She sobbed,

* * *

A week, they'd had her a week when Caroline found that her perfect plan wasn't so perfect at all.

She'd been out buying clothes for Maisie, _more clothes, _even though the girl refused to wear anything other than the batman costume they'd gotten her. When she'd returned, however, no more than two hours later, their apartment was destroyed.

She found them in the kitchen. Klaus was sitting at the breakfast bar, drinking a coffee. Maisie was very busy making a finger painting on the fridge, having already completed the walls.

"Klaus, what did you do?" She shrieked, rushing towards them.

"The girl wanted to paint."

"And you didn't have any paper?!"  
"She'd already gotten going, and I didn't want to interrupt her thought process. It's an artist thing."

"Klaus-" She growled, he laughed.

"_You _wanted this, Caroline." She wanted to scream, she wanted to yell, she wanted to _clean, _but she knew that he'd just set her a challenge. So, without a seconds hesitation, she walked over and dipped her hand into the paint, and joined Maisie.

She hid her disgust at the mess, and began moving her hands in different directions, spreading paint all over the fridge.

She'd just began to plan her cleaning strategy in her head when Maisie grinned at her,

And in that moment, it all seemed worth it.

* * *

"This is _so _weird." Stefan commented, watching the two women sitting in the living room. Klaus nodded his head in agreement, and listened to the conversation in confusion. For ten years, Rebekah and Caroline had kept their interaction to a minimal. Caroline couldn't stand Rebekah, and Rebekah couldn't understand why Klaus was in love with the young vampire. After three years or so, Stefan and he had given up on trying to force them to get along, and had learned to dwell in the tension.

But this was plain _creepy._

_"_I mean, my niece is gorgeous in _anything," _Caroline nodded, "but forest green is definitely her colour."

"I know!" Caroline agreed, watching Elijah attempt to teach Maisie how to eat without covering herself in cake. It wasn't going well.

"I can't believe this is the same child that I met a month ago. She's come so far, Caroline."

"Was that a compliment?" Caroline asked, genuine shock on her face. It was true, she'd grown fond of Rebekah, but she was confident that she still wanted to snap her neck.

"No. It's clearly my influence as an aunt."

"_Clearly." _Caroline rolled her eyes.

"You two are aware-" Stefan said, walking towards the two. "that we don't even know when her birthday is?"

Rebekah narrowed her eyes. "So?" Stefan raised his hands in defense, and Klaus laughed. They'd had Maisie scarcely three months, but it seemed as though she'd already become a regular fixture in their life. In fact, Klaus was beginning to struggle to remember what it had been like before she'd arrived.

"I hate to interrupt the _festivities." Kol_ interrupted, standing in the doorway. "But a man with three ponies is waiting a the door." Klaus groaned, Caroline squealed, and Maisie continued to indulge in her cake, completely oblivious to the world, and creatures around her.

* * *

"Klausy?" Klaus opened one eye, realizing that he couldn't simply ignore the constant shaking, and calling of his name.

"What is it?"

"I'm scared." The child whispered, a sob escaping her lips. It was three o'clock in the morning, and Caroline was gone back to Mystic Falls to visit her mother. She'd insisted on bringing Maisie, but she'd refused to get on the plane at the airport. Klaus suggested compelling her, but quickly retracted his offer once he saw the pure look of horror on Caroline's face. Caroline had then contemplated taking a train, but Klaus insisted that he and the kid would be _fine _together.

It only took an hour before he regretted that decision.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." He mumbled, rolling onto his stomach.

"I had a bad dream."

"Really? I'm currently have a _nightmare." _He told her.

"I wet my bed." She whispered. "Can I sleep with you?"

"No."

"Please, Klausy."

"_Klaus." _He ground out. He was barely resisting the urge to compel the child to call him by his proper name, but Caroline had made him swear that he wouldn't.

"Tell me a story. Mommy always tells me stories."

"For the love of-" Klaus sat up, his eyes barely adjusting to the light of the torch that Maisie was gripping tightly. He snatched it away, turning it off promptly. He picked up the girl with ease, and sat her on Caroline's side of the bed. "Not a word." He said, settling his head back down on the pillow.

It couldn't have been more than a minute later, just as Klaus was beginning to drift back to sleep, when he felt the gentle press of lips to his forehead.

"G'night, Klausy." She yawned, snuggling into his side.

Klaus fell asleep with a smile playing across his lips.


End file.
